'Hockey Day on the Hill' set for March 5

NHL.com

'Hockey Day on the Hill' set for March 5The NHL, USA Hockey, USA Warriors and the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club will join Congress in Washington, D.C., on March 5 for Hockey Day on the Hill.

NEW YORK -- The National Hockey League (NHL), USA Hockey, USA Warriors and the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club will join members of Congress in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, March 5 for Hockey Day on the Hill to discuss the state of hockey in the U.S., with a focus on how ice hockey can assist in the rehabilitation of injured veterans. The day will begin with a Congressional Hockey Caucus Briefing on Capitol Hill and conclude with a friendly, but competitive hockey game at Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va.

Monies raised from the annual Congressional Hockey Challenge will benefit a portion of the NHL/Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) Scholarship, which awards a four-year academic scholarship to a participant of the NHL's Hockey is for Everyone™ (HIFE) official youth development program to attend any U.S. college or university. The NHL/Thurgood Marshall College Fund scholarship was developed in 2012 under the direction of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who serves on its board of directors.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5

All Times Eastern

10:30 a.m. - Congressional Hockey Caucus Briefing & Panel Discussion

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, USA Hockey Executive Director Dave Ogrean, USA Warriors President Dan Coleman and Bauer Performance Sports President & CEO Kevin Davis, along with Congressional Hockey Caucus co-chairs Reps. Pat Meehan (R-Pa.), Lee Terry (R-Neb.), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) and Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.); and members Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) and Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) along with representatives from the D.C.-based Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club will lead a discussion for members of Congress and their staff, focusing on the role ice hockey can play in the rehabilitation of the nation's injured veterans. NBC News reporter Luke Russert will moderate the panel.

7 p.m. - 2014 Congressional Hockey Challenge

A team of federal lawmakers, Congressional staff, administration officials, USA Warriors players and Canadian Members of Parliament will face off against lobbyists for the sixth annual Congressional Hockey Challenge. Follow the game action on Twitter (@HockeyCHC).

He's only 17 but he can see the ice so well and he moves the puck and goes to the open ice all the time, so I just think he's a player that is ready to play in the NHL. I'm really looking forward to coaching someone like this.

— U.S. National Junior Team coach Ron Wilson on Auston Matthews, the projected No. 1 pick of the 2016 NHL Draft